Lawyer: Police misconduct probes may be constrained if Worcester loses public records lawsuit against the T&G Brad Petrishen, Telegram & Gazette
WORCESTER - If cities and towns are not allowed to withhold from the public the internal affairs records of officers being sued, they might not thoroughly investigate complaints of police wrongdoing, Worcester’s head litigator suggested in court Monday.
Assistant city solicitor and head litigator Wendy L. Quinn made the remark during her closing argument in the trial being conducted in Worcester Superior Court between the city and Telegram & Gazette over access to police misconduct records.
The central issue in the case is whether the city is allowed to withhold from the public the internal affairs records of police officers who are facing civil lawsuits.
Appeals Court Clears Taunton in Wrongful Death Case
A Massachusetts appeals court has ruled in favor of the City of Taunton in a wrongful death case brought by the family of a fatal stabbing victim.
The civil case had claimed that a slow and negligent response by first responders caused the wrongful death of Patricia Slavin, 80, who was fatally stabbed in her Myricks Street home in May of 2016. An appeals court panel today ruled that the woman s death was not originally caused by the fire and ambulance response, and reversed a lower court decision that denied the city s motion to dismiss.
Chloe Shelford Jan 9, 2021
Five priests who served at St. Patrick’s Church in Wareham have been accused of sexual abuse, according to a list of 75 accused clergy published on Jan. 7 by the diocese of Fall River.
It is unclear when or for how long these priests worked in Wareham, and the diocese of Fall River declined Wareham Week’s request for that information. Many served at more than eight churches over their careers.
St. Patrick’s declined to comment for this story.
Several of the priests are facing criminal charges:
Mark Hession has been charged with two counts of rape, one count of indecent assault and battery on a child less than 14, and one count of intimidation of a witness.
Top News Stories of 2020: Part 2
The Greenfield Fire Station dressed up for the holidays for the last time. The station is set to be demolished to make room for a new Greenfield Public Library. STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ
Shane Trudeau puts together a food order at the Orange Food Pantry on East Main Street with Rachel Berggren of the Franklin County Community Meals Program in August. Food pantries and other meal sites have been established or evolved to meet increased need and combat food insecurity caused by the pandemic. STAFF FILE PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ
A artistic rendering of the new Greenfield Public Library. An earlier version of this article featured an outdated design. Contributed image
TAUNTON The Massachusetts Appeals Court has cleared the way for Taunton to start issuing retail marijuana licenses again.
Associated Justice John Englander on Monday vacated an injunction issued by the Land Court that had temporarily prevented the city from issuing any of its four remaining licenses.
The injunction was issued last month on behalf of Bask Cannabis, which is appealing the city s denial of a special permit to open a retail marijuana shop on Route 44. Applicants must obtain a special permit before they can be granted a license.
The city previously set a cap of five licenses and has already issued one.